1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable emergency lights, and more particularly, to a self-contained, hand-held strobe light and distress marker which may be used with various light filters to alert friendly emergency rescue personnel in a combat environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Strobe lights have been used for many years in order to make persons or objects more visible. The strobing effect of the light, particularly at night, draws an observer's attention directly to the light. In night time emergency situations, this effect is very beneficial since persons in need of rescue often require prompt response from rescue personnel. Locating a person at night in open, desolate terrain, desert, forest, jungle, or at sea is difficult, often because of the sheer size of the area that must be searched. The use of a strobe light enables emergency personnel to reach persons much more quickly since a bright, flashing strobe is very noticeable in any weather condition.
Portable strobe lights have been used by aviators for many years. Military aviators often operating over large ocean expanses or remote, desolate terrain have found the use of small strobe lights extremely effective in locating downed personnel. However, because the strobe light is visible in all directions, the use of such a light in a combat environment in enemy or hostile territory would also direct enemy forces to a downed aviator. Additionally, a bright flash might also be misinterpreted as a gun muzzle flash which could draw aircraft or ground fire. All of these disadvantages have indicated that there is a need for a small, lightweight, watertight, portable strobe light which may be used with one or more filters and which can be operated from a single, self-contained battery-operated source.
The present invention provides a portable, hand-held emergency strobe light that can be used in both combat and non-combat environments. An encompassing light shield and light filters, employed with a conventional strobe light, can be used to direct light rays along a line of sight and to block certain segments of the visible light spectrum so the emitted light rays may appear as a single distinctive color, often detected only with specialized equipment.